You must have completed the Day Skipper Theory course or have the knowledge of the Theory to the same level before starting the practical.

The Theory Course can be done in two ways:

Online Theory - Complete the coursework and two exams in your own home, through a Skipper's Online course. This is probably our most popular option as you can learn at your own pace all the theory, meaning your time spend on the practical course in Corfu can be left for mainly practical exercises ands skills. The course contains around 40 hours of work.

Shore based Theory - Study the syllabus with one of our instructors and complete the exams whilst staying onboard the yacht that you will do the practical course on. Weather and time dependant, we will also try to complete some on the water skills during the first week to help merge the theory in to real life practice. If you prefer face to face learning and you have two weeks available this is the option for you.

The syllabus covered during the practical week includes:

Yacht preparation – getting the yacht ready to sail, what sails to use and engine checks. As well as getting the yacht stocked with supplies.

Sail handling – being able to raise and lower the sails, as well as how to trim and reef when necessary.

Navigation – the main theory part of the qualification. Plotting fixes, waypoints, dead reckoning, estimated positon, knowledge of buoyage, use of depth gauge and being able to keep a log.

Pilotage – preparing a plan to come in and out of harbour, use of leading lines and transits.

Meteorology – can interpret a marine weather forecast.

Rules of the road – a working knowledge of the collision regulations, can deal with situations.

Maintenance – where to look if something goes wrong.

Engines – basic maintenance

Emergency situations – fire, sinking etc. How best to deal with the worst.

Yacht handling under power and sail – mooring bows-to, stern-to, side to, on a buoy and at anchor.

Passage planning – plan the route for the day, avoiding hazards and getting there the easiest route.

The practical course does not have an exam at the end of the week, instead it comes down to an assessment by the instructor throughout the week. During the course our instructor will help you work on any points you struggle with to make sure that you are fully confident skipper. We do not gaurentee a pass of this course but we will do our best to help you every step of the way!

Our training yachts have 3 double cabins and a convertible saloon meaning there is enough room to technically sleep 8. However to keep our guests comfortable we keep our training boat numbers to 5 plus the instructor, but only when cabin arrangements suit. We will not make you share a cabin with a stranger!

Although the weather changes throughout the year our prices stay the same for our RYA courses. So don’t worry about avoiding the school holidays just book when it suits you!

The prices for the course include the following:

Yacht and instructor for the duration of the course

Bedding and towels onboard

Breakfast and lunch, (dinner is up to you and it is not compulsory to feed the instructor)

All practical course material and safety equipment

Wet weather gear.

Outboard motor and Dinghy for the duration

End cleaning of the yacht

Harbour Fees

If you want to skipper a yacht yourself then this is the course for you! The course is designed to ensure you can skipper a yacht in daytime hours in familiar waters, from lovely bay ‘A’ to picturesque harbour ‘B’. Obviously with a swim stop at anchorage ‘C’ en-route! The perfect course if you are wanting to charter bareboat in the years to come.

Please note that we require at least 3 onboard for a course to take place. We will obviously let you know if there is a possibility of the course not going ahead at least 2 months prior to start date. The course will be fully refundable if this is the case.

You are also able to book out the entire training yacht if you would prefer one on one instruction. Please contact us for information on this as it will depend on availability of instructors and yachts.